How to Double Your Happiness in Life (in 2 Minutes a Day)

Happiness in life isn’t something that comes as a reward for a job well done (although it might happen that way sometimes). It isn’t something that other people “give” you, or “make” you feel, either.

Happiness is even more than a mindset: it’s a lifeset.

How you live, what you expect, the way you interact with the world and feel about yourself… Those are all part of what makes up our happiness in life.

But it doesn’t “just happen” all on it’s own; happiness needs energy in order to flow.

“You are not a drop in the ocean. You are the entire ocean in a drop. Seek the wisdom that will untie your knot. Seek the path that demands your whole being.” ~Rumi

So what does it take to get more happiness in life?

You don’t really need to read a book, sign up for a class, or… well, BUY anything at all. You can double the happiness in your life in just two minutes a day, at absolutely no cost, and great gain to your soul. 🙂

Happiness researcher Shawn Achor, author of “The Happiness Advantage,” describes one simple habit that has already changed the lives of thousands.

He calls it The Doubler. Here’s how it works.

Do THIS every single day, for 2 minutes…

For 2 minutes, think of the most positive experience that has happened in the past 24 hours. Fill in the details. Make a mental bullet-point list of all the related elements you can.

Since the brain can’t tell the difference between a visualization and an actual experience, you’ve just doubled the happiness-inducing power of the best occurrence of the past day.

Do it for 21 days, and your brain will start connecting the dots for you, raising your overall levels of happiness, which has health-building, pain-relieving, and other positive life effects.

Achor did this “Doubler” experiment with the National MS Society. Previous research from the University of Texas found that if you have a chronic neuromuscular disease, chronic fatigue and pain, and you do this for six weeks in a row, six months later, they can drop your pain medication by 50 percent.

Not a bad benefit for a simple two minutes of your time each day, huh?

4 more simple habits that build happiness in life

1. Go outside

A UK study from the University of Sussex found that being outdoors created more happiness in life:

“Being outdoors, near the sea, on a warm, sunny weekend afternoon is the perfect spot for most. In fact, participants were found to be substantially happier outdoors in all natural environments than they were in urban environments.”

Read More: A Love Letter to You

2. Practice generosity

Give nice things away. Volunteer your time to help someone, with no expectation of anything in return.

Over the years I’ve discovered (and maybe you have too) that in addition to generating happiness, practicing generosity has the interesting effect of also making me more grateful for the people, relationships, opportunities, and blessings I have in my life.

And guess what? The more grateful you feel, the happier you become!

What an awesome circle of spiritual joy that creates.

3. Smile

For real. That’s all, just smile a genuine smile.

There’s all sorts of research on this one, but the most effective experiment you can do all on your own: try it! Smile with intention, from your heart, as much as you can in a given period of time.

The more you do it, the better it feels.

Read More: Mantra for Loving Yourself

4. Get older

Surprised to find this one here? The truth is that as we grow older, we tend to become wiser and more at peace with ourselves and the world around us.

Some studies have discovered that as people age, we seek out situations that will lift our moods. We spend less of our time with negative people, and look for situations and relationships that will be uplifting, rather than troublesome.

And we get better at knowing what gives us happiness in life.

It’s a helluva start, being able to recognize what makes you happy. ~Lucille Ball